Food Porn: Amy’s Place

With 250+ restaurants featured on Buffalo Eats, you’d think we would have covered all of the best foodie spots in Western New York. Somehow, we haven’t, so last weekend when Alli and I were debating about getting breakfast I came to the realization that we’ve never blogged about Amy’s Place. Amy’s definitely wasn’t under our radar, we actually visited the restaurant a few times years ago and they’ve been name dropped by several of our Buffalo Foodies.

I can’t say I had vivid memories of Amy’s Place, I last visited at a time of my life when (sadly) chicken fingers made up 75% of my diet. But I did remember they only took cash (still the case), they had a big breakfast menu, they offered lots of vegan/vegetarian options and they had a surprisingly large Lebanese/Middle Eastern menu. Luckily all of those things are still true and now that I’m more of a foodie, I can capitalize on these delicious menu options.

The exterior and interior isn’t going to win anyone over or really draw anyone in. You’d drive by this place and expect the usual breakfast diner menu of egg combos and hamburgers and while those standards are on the menu, so are vegan and vegetarian dishes you won’t find elsewhere. You’ll also find a pretty large Middle Eastern menu, specifically Lebanese dishes that, in our opinion, are some of the greatest breakfast options around. Since it was still early in the morning we decided to mix it up and order one our favorite Lebanese dishes along with some hearty breakfast options.

We started our meal with the Lebne and Zatar Pita. Lebne is a thick Lebanese yogurt-like spread/dip that Alli and I have fallen in love with over the last couple of years and has become a staple in our fridge. Normally, we buy containers from an Arabic market on Hertel but when we have the chance to get the home made stuff, we don’t hesitate. Amy’s Place Lebne has a really strong tart to it and pairs great with the strong spice Zatar. The Zatar Pita was pretty intense, this pita was literally covered in the spice and, along with a ton of sesame, really overwhelmed our taste buds. If you’ve never had any of these flavors or don’t like really intense spices, I’d recommend ordering some Lebne with just the plain toasted pita as a side.

Since our visit to Betha’s and Shango’s a few months ago, we haven’t had a really memorable breakfast experience. I’ll admit its not my favorite meal of the day but lately I’ve been looking for something to really impress me. I walked away from our breakfast at Amy’s Place with a full stomach and thinking I might have found my version of the perfect breakfast. I’m not saying that Amy’s Place is the best place in Buffalo for breakfast, I think Bertha’s still has that crown, but for what I was in the mood for that Sunday, I ordered the perfect meal. Their Beef Shwarma Breakfast (pictured above) includes scrambled eggs, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and beef marinated with Middle Eastern spices. The beef was really tender and their spice combinations gave the beef an almost sweet flavor. All of my cravings were satisfied, there was plenty of meat, the potatoes were fried up with a crunchy exterior, the tomatoes gave each bite a nice tarty flavor and the egg was fluffy and acted as a great filler.

For me it was perfect and filled me up for most of the day. Alli really enjoyed her simple meal of eggs, bacon and home fries. The menu is huge and they have something for everyone; you’ll be able to find something to eat if your a hardcore vegan or if you’re looking for a pork fix. From what I’ve read online, their specialty wraps and sandwiches are pretty popular as well. The only things I dislike is their cash only policy (some of us never carry cash) and that fact that they have absolutely zero online presence. I was desperately trying to remember some of their specials that sounded great but aside from cell phone snapshots on urbanspoon, Amy’s Place has no website or online menu.

Its taken us years to make a return trip to Amy’s Place, but I can guarantee it won’t take us nearly that long to go back.